Portland at Denver

[Real Deal]

TIME: 9:00 PM ET

TV: n/a

[Cobb]

DENVER -- Building a hefty cushion, the Denver Nuggets didn't have to worry about another fourth-quarter breakdown.

 

Chauncey Billups scored 18 points and the short-handed Nuggets took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter en route to a 95-77 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

 

Denver snapped a season-high, three-game losing streak, including Sunday's loss to Philadelphia in which the Nuggets blew a fourth-quarter lead at home for the first time in 58 regular-season games.

 

Nuggets coach George Karl was confident enough in the Nuggets' advantage that he rested most of his starters during the fourth, giving them a break in advance of Wednesday night's game at Minnesota.

 

"It was great to be able to get a little rest in the fourth and let the bench come in and close it out," Billups said. "It was some much-needed rest for the starters. But guys continued to play hard and continued to do the things we had done the first three quarters and that's exactly what we needed them to do."

 

J.R. Smith and Nene added 17 points apiece for the Nuggets, who were without forward Carmelo Anthony for a fourth consecutive game following the death of his sister. The Nuggets said in a statement that Anthony is expected to rejoin the team on Thursday.